The older man looked interested, if unconvinced. "We appreciate the effort. However, closing off the gate will only prevent raids by off-worlders. It cannot stop the raids originating from this world."
"Minister, I assure you that the Cadre is very much an off-world threat, one that has nothing to do with the Falnori. All this will become clear when the adarite raids stop after the shield control is installed. I'm simply asking you to give us the time to demonstrate that."
"And in the meantime?"
Try not to start any battles. "If nothing else," Elizabeth replied, "you'll have a functional gate all to yourself. If you'd like, you can find more trading partners without needing to use the gate here."
She'd assumed that to be a reasonable concept. Apparently she'd assumed wrong. Galven's face darkened. "You propose that we surrender this land to the Falnori? What of the Hall?"
Before she could deny any such intent, Cestan edged in with a demand of his own. "Do the raids on my people mean nothing? Why should their gate be protected and not ours?"
"Your gate?" Galven spat. "I think not."
The Falnori governor allowed his manners to slip. "You hardly use this one. Now you want two?"
"We'll come up with a shield for the gate here as well," Elizabeth hurried to say. She had no idea whether or not it was possible to fashion a gate shield from scratch, but if it needed to be done Rodney and Radek would find a way to make it happen. "Until then we can continue to guard this gate. How long will we need to go without a raid before you're convinced that no one on this planet is involved?"
She never got an answer. Before either man could speak, Cadman appeared on the stairs again. Her stiff backed posture conveyed a warning more clearly than her words. "Ma'am, we've got some kind of standoff topside."
Only the combined experiences of two-plus years in the Pegasus Galaxy allowed her to take that statement in stride. Even so, the three seconds she took to process it gave Lorne enough of a head start to beat her to the stairwell and up to the Hall's entrance-where he thrust out a hand to halt her.
"Better stay back, Doctor."
"You're not armed either, Major," she pointed out.
"That's true, ma'am, but I think we both know what our respective roles are supposed to be here."
The Falnori and Nistra representatives had followed her up the stairs to investigate. Elizabeth compromised by staying with Carson, a few steps behind Lorne and Cadman, as they climbed the hill toward the gate.
"I need a sit-rep, Lieutenant," the Major said quietly.
"About twenty people showed up out of the eastern edge of the forest," Cadman reported. "They must have come in covertly, split up into pairs, and circled around. They put at least two guys on each of ours before demanding our weapons and sending me off to get you. Nobody's made a move yet-everyone's waiting for someone else to be first."
"What about their weapons?"
"Mostly bows and arrows. We could take `em, sir, but it'd be ugly."
Hearing Galven and Cestan's footfalls behind her, Elizabeth wondered whose soldiers these were-and whether or not they were acting under orders.
The situation at the top of the hill appeared just as Cadman had described. Having spread out to cover the area around the gate, the Marines had been herded together by a ragged yet focused squad. The four Falnori who had taken part in the sentry duty now knelt on the ground, disarmed. That effectively answered her question.
Although one side wielded P-90s and the other bows, neither showed any sign of backing down.
One soldier glanced over at the newcomers and bobbed his head in acknowledgment. "We serve, Minister."
If Elizabeth had been asked to guess which group would take the first step toward escalating the conflict, she probably would have said the Nistra. Still, a surge of indignation propelled her toward Galven. "Do you really expect to solve anything like this?" she accused. "Through control of the gate?"
"Control of the talks," Galven corrected matter-of- factly. "It is in our interests to complete a new treaty. However, the long-held Falnori view of the Nistra as an inferior people must end. I will no longer negotiate from a position of weakness."
"Galven, you finally have defied all justifications," seethed Cestan. "Peace at the point of a spear is no peace at all."
"My hunters are here to guard the Stargate and this gathering, nothing more. We have no reason to bring bloodshed into an open and sincere proceeding." His emphasis made clear his doubt that the negotiations could truly be described as such.
"And we're meant to take your intent on faith? What will you ask next? Our full harvest?"
Elizabeth battled to maintain some shred of authority. "Minister, we had an agreement for my people to stand guard as an impartial force."
Galven's eyebrows lifted. "Please forgive me, Doctor, if your claims of neutrality no longer reassure me."
And then two of the bows were aimed at her and Carson, sending a ripple of renewed tension through the Marines. A corporal took aim at the hunter pair. "Ma'am, just say the word," the young man stated, his tone deadly earnest.
For a few seconds, the air was silent, and Elizabeth's heartbeat thudded in her ears. It wasn't fear, at least not directly; she knew that the hunters threatening her would be the first to fall if she told the Marines to open fire. Once that happened, however, they'd be set on an irreversible course. The Nistra would see enemies in the Falnori and Lanteans alike, and the casualties on this hill would be only the first.
"Lower your weapons," she said at last.
Bewildered, the Marines looked to Major Lorne for guidance. "You heard the order," Lorne barked, mostly concealing his skepticism. "Be advised that she said lower, not drop."
Cestan watched the Marines stand down and whirled on Elizabeth. "How can you appease him?" he demanded, betrayal written across his face. "My people…"
Time for some tough love. Mind racing to stay a step ahead, Elizabeth addressed both leaders in a cool voice. "If you're certain this dispute can't be resolved without force, that's your choice. I'm willing to continue mediating up to a point. What I am not willing to do is risk my people. With your permission, Minister, I'd like to send these Marines home."
No doubt Galven interpreted that as a victory. Sweeping out a magnanimous hand, he agreed. "You are free to do so."
Lorne leaned in and spoke urgently. "Ma'am, if you're suggesting that we stay here unarmed-"
"Not you, Major. You need to go get Sekal out of his cell, throw him in a jumper, and drag him down here. And bring every last bauble he and his gang had with them, in case any of it's recognizable to either the minister or the governor. If anybody can prove to these two models of intractability that neither group is deliberately antagonizing the other with the raids, it's him."
The Major's eyes narrowed. "All due respect, but if the rest of the team is heading home, you're going to need backup now more than ever. Dr. Beckett can go round up the prisoner instead of me. Right, Doc?"
Carson looked as though he wanted to protest her plan to stay behind. He must have thought better of it, because he blinked rapidly and nodded. "Aye, suppose I can. But I think a few of these Marines had better take the return trip with Sekal."
"I'd recommend it. As quickly as possible." Elizabeth gripped his hands for a brief moment, attempting to convey some kind of reassurance.
She may not have entirely succeeded. Carson's gaze pierced her and he murmured, "I do hope you know what you're doing."
As much as I ever do in this galaxy. She alone had made the choice to press on with this Sisyphean task, and she'd be the one to live with the consequences. Stepping back, she told Cadman, "Dial the gate."